Cabrera beat Trout, 362-281, in a weighted voting system. Cabrera received 22 of the 28 first-place votes, to Trout’s six first-place votes (Cabrera was second on each of those ballots). Tigers Verlander finished 8th in the voting and first baseman Prince Fielder finished 9th.

“Wow. Wow. I don’t believe it,” Cabrera said. “I’m very excited. I’m like, I don’t have any words to explain like how excited I’m right now. I never expected I’d end up winning because Mike Trout, he (had an) unbelievable season. Man, I’ve very surprised.”

“(I want to) share with all the fans in Detroit, all the fans in Venezuela,” Cabrera said. “It’s going to be exciting for my country Venezuela and my family and I’m very happy for getting this MVP. I’m sure they are going crazy in my country right now.”

Cabrera is the first player from Venezuela to win the MVP award.

Said Tigers manager Jim Leyland: “I think when you do something that hasn’t been done in 40-some years, with everything (Cabrera) did down the stretch when we needed him the most. I was a little nervous about it, but to be honest with you, I just felt like if this guy doesn’t get the MVP, then there should be no such thing as an MVP.”

Prior to the release of the MVP, baseball writers and analyst had predicted the Trout should win the award. He led the AL in runs scored with 129, and stolen bases with 49. Plus, it was noted his defense was exceptional in his rookie campaign, too.

No matter, Cabrera, who finished the season with a .330 batting average, 44 homers and 139 RBIs en route to winning the majors’ first Triple Crown since 1967, did enough to win the voters. Add in his .606 slugging percentage and .999 OPS also led the majors, the MVP ended up being a slam dunk for this Tiger slugger.

After Cabrera had officially won the Triple Crown, MLB Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig said: “It is an honor to congratulate Miguel Cabrera on earning the Triple Crown, a remarkable achievement that places him amongst an elite few in all of Baseball history. Miguel has long been one of the most accomplished hitters in the game, and this recognition is one that he will be able to cherish for the rest of his career.

Said MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds: “I just think the Triple Crown and getting a team into the playoffs really made a big difference for Miguel Cabrera. I believe, at the end of the day, the Triple Crown and getting into the playoffs was the difference-maker.”

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